Everyday language, everyday speech, common parlance, informal
language, colloquial language, general parlance, or vernacular (but
this has other meanings too), is the most used variety of a language,
which is usually employed in conversation or other communication in
informal situations.
An example of such language is called a colloquialism, or casualism.
The most common term used by dictionaries to label such an expression
is colloquial. Many people however misunderstand this label and
confuse it with the word local because it sounds somewhat
similar[citation needed] and because informal expressions are often
only used in certain regions. (But a regionalism is not the same thing
as a colloquialism, and a regionalism can be local formal speech).
Much of the misunderstanding is ironically caused by the dictionary
label itself being formal and not part of everyday speech. As a
result, there is widespread confusion between colloquialisms and
regionalisms and idioms even among dictionary users and perhaps
especially among them. In addition to the problematic colloquial,
WiktionaryWiktionary also uses the universally understood label informal but
does not define any difference between them.
The word colloquial by its etymology originally referred to speech as
distinguished from writing, but colloquial register is fundamentally
about the degree of informality or casualness rather than the medium,
and some usage commentators thus prefer the term casualism.[citation
needed]

Explanation[edit]
General parlance is distinct from formal speech or formal writing.[1]
It is the variety of language that speakers typically use when they
are relaxed and not especially self-conscious.[2] An expression is
labeled colloq. for "colloquial" in dictionaries when a different
expression is more common in informal speech, but this does not mean
that the expression is inappropriate in formal speech or writing or
that it is necessarily slang. Many people misunderstand this very
common dictionary label due to the widespread misconception that
colloquial means "location" or a word being "regional". This is not
the case; the word root for colloquial is related to locution, not
location.
Some colloquial speech contains a great deal of slang, but some
contains no slang at all.
Slang is permitted in colloquial language,
but it is not a necessary element.[2] Other examples of colloquial
usage in English include contractions or profanity.[2]
In the philosophy of language, the term "colloquial language" refers
to ordinary natural language, as distinct from specialized forms used
in logic or other areas of philosophy.[3] In the field of logical
atomism, meaning is evaluated in a different way than with more formal
propositions.
A colloquial name or familiar name is a name or term commonly used to
identify a person or thing in informal language, in place of another
usually more formal or technical name.[4]
Distinction from other styles[edit]
Colloquialisms are distinct from slang or jargon.
Slang refers to
words used only by specific social groups, such as teenagers or
soldiers.[5] Colloquial language may include slang, but consists
mostly of contractions or other informal words and phrases known to
most native speakers of the language.[5]
Jargon is terminology that is especially defined in relationship to a
specific activity, profession, or group. The term refers to the
language used by people who work in a particular area or who have a
common interest. Much like slang, it is a kind of shorthand used to
express ideas that are frequently discussed between members of a
group, though it can also be developed deliberately using chosen
terms.[6] While a standard term may be given a more precise or unique
usage amongst practitioners of relevant disciplines, it is often
reported that jargon is a barrier to communication for those people
unfamiliar with the respective field.[citation needed]
See also[edit]